Some of the articles describe the bedspread as the kind you'd find in a motel, but that style was generally popular in "country" decorating (whether authentically rural or city imitation) for most of the fifties and sixties.
I've often wondered whether it was at a cottage that hunters rent -- with a shed or garage where they could butcher and hang their game. Uh, I don't think I'm going to get any more detailed than that, but blood wouldn't have been a big issue.
For some reason I can't picture a hunting camp with a bunch of hunters as the place she was killed and mutilated. I cannot picture more than one man interested in murdering, cutting off parts of a pregant woman; to me this murder/mutilation is very personal. i also can't picture a hunting camp with bedspreads, but I could be wrong.
Deer hunting in the PA "southern tier" (I don't know what area that encompasses exactly) is a place well-known by hunters even from as distant as the Canadian Border of NY, they visit, about once a year or so. But, I believe??? the deer season was past by then, does anyone know? I never cared to keep track since we weren't much of a hunting family.
BTW, while I may be new to posting on this thread, I am not new to this case, have followed, watched, thought about it for years. I even considered she may have been native American, Greek, or Italian. I also wonder about the date of death, 1976, a Bicentennial year, for most of the states. Could that have played into this?
During the forties and fifties my family still used their "old" (and that they were) chenille bedspreads, never mind the "fashion". Somehow I can imagine an "old" bedspread, or one from a motel being used.
So, what do we have now? A suitcase which may have been a reject with the handles cut off - I believe that's a good clue. Were there any manufacturers of suitcases in the area at that time?
We have a worse for wear chenille bedspread from a home where they kept and used that sort of thing/rural probably, a motel, or from a wife who wanted to get rid of stuff she no longer wanted it pawned it off on hunting hubby.
We have a NY Times, either a freebie or hanging around wherever the deed was done. It it was from a motel, that I can understand, grab the free paper, or put in your dime and run. If it came from home, however, that suggests the perp was a hair smarter than the average.
Then we have the straw packing. That suggests the suitcase manufacturer. Does anyone know where suitcases were manufactured in the tri-state area? By this I mean NY, NJ, and PA. It could, of course go a bit further south to MD and Delaware, or a bit north to CT.
What else does anyone think there is of evidentiary value? The nose, ears, and breasts cut off? What meaning to this? I don't know, I believe it's personal, very personal, almost reminds me of Saucy Jack. Obviously it had the meaning to the perp. Any other cases like that with the same or similar parts cut off?
And let's not forget the writing on her hand:
"
There were letters and numbers written on the left hand of the victim in ink (color of ink unknown). While there were different interpretations of what was actually written on the hand, almost definitely was WSR. Next to that was either a 4 or a 5. Below and to the right was either a 4 or 7. Police checked license plates and CB call signs but were unable to determine the significance of the notations. The ink would probably have lasted 8-12 hours."
Lasted 8 - 12 hours. What does that tell us? The killer had to kill, dismember, pack her in suitcases, and drive to the site of the dump within that time period. Where would that lead us? It would take him at least 2/3 hours to do that, deduct from 12, what do we have - 9 hours. A body can do a LOT of traveling in 9 hours. Maybe the letters and numbers were directions. Hmm, new thought here, maybe I/we should look into that.
Just more thoughts, take them as you will.
